


A Tale of Sirens and Men

by heroesfan101



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Angst, Gen, M/M, Mystery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-17
Updated: 2017-09-17
Packaged: 2018-12-30 17:35:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12113772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heroesfan101/pseuds/heroesfan101
Summary: The dead walk out of the sea, beautiful and alive, and no one suspects anything otherwise. Except for Changkyun, when Jooheon shows up in front of his door, asking him cheerfully if he still has the keys to the lighthouse. The other boy had drowned himself just two months ago. Follow Changkyun as he starts on a dangerous journey to get his best friend back.





	A Tale of Sirens and Men

**Author's Note:**

  * For [happycakeycake](https://archiveofourown.org/users/happycakeycake/gifts).



Two months. That’s how long it had been for Changkyun, now that he is on his own. He moved to this town when he was ten, making six friends along the way. But they were more than friends, they were his brothers. Having gone through everything with them from primary school to college, no one took care of him like they did.

 

But nowadays, he could only take care of himself. As of five years ago, Changkyun’s friends started dropping off like flies mysteriously. Of course he was upset, but he knew of the tale of sirens. How it allows the dead to rise from the sea, shiny and new as if they never left. Typically no one ever mourned the loss of their loved ones because they would always show up within a month or so. But Changkyun never saw any of them, allowing the sadness to sink into his heart deeply.

 

First it was Hyunwoo and Hyungwon. It was a bad accident that sent Hyunwoo’s car spiraling out of control and over the cliff, launching them both into the sea. Then the following year it was Kihyun and Minhyuk. They were first responders helping with rescue efforts during storms that came during hurricane season. One night they went out to save some children who called for help and while they were successful, they ultimately lost their lives. Minhyuk’s leg got stuck under debris and although Kihyun tried to help him, the water continued to fill up past their heads. Two years later, Wonho, Jooheon, and Changkyun had gone cliff diving as it was a tradition between the boys. Wonho was the first to go, as they knew if he didn’t have support he’d never jump. Afterwards, Jooheon and Changkyun followed, dropping several feet into the water before slowly coming up tot the surface. But while the latter two resurfaced, Wonho never did. And no matter how many times they dove under the easy going pools of blue to find him, he never surfaced.

 

From then on, Changkyun felt the sea to be a cursed and unforgiving force of nature. With how he had lost his friends suddenly over the years, Changkyun found his world slowly turning dark. It was during those times Jooheon was his only source of light, keeping him sane. He even moved in with him so they could take care of each other and ward of the fear stricken nightmares that would plague them both at night. The two became practically inseparable as they could not afford to lose each other.

 

One night, Jooheon went to the beach to clear his mind once he knew Changkyun was asleep peacefully. The breeze was calm with the water embodying the same spirit. A dark navy sky contrasted well with the full white moon, which illuminated Jooheon’s skin. The dimpled man took a seat in the cooled sand with bent knees as he stared at the moon. He continued to ponder the very thought that had been on his mind for years: Could Changkyun and him ever be truly happy again? Jooheon always played the role of a strong protector over Changkyun, but they both knew the sadness had pulled their hearts to the pits of their stomachs. A low sigh escaped his lips as he dropped his head into his hands in defeat.

 

Suddenly he heard a scream and his head snapped up. The sound seemed to be of a young woman flailing frantically as she splashed to draw in his attention. Jooheon sprung into action, running and diving straight into the ocean, each arm falling hard and quick, pushing him forward to save her. But the closer he got, the farther she seemed to be. Soon Jooheon realized he had gone too far past shore. No soon the thought crossed his mind, he felt himself dragged down under the waves as the air escaped his lungs and everything went black.

 

Changkyun couldn’t believe the news next morning. He felt something wrong when he woke up, but didn’t know it would be this bad. They said his best friend had probably drowned himself in the sea, most likely due to the sadness of losing so many close friends. Changkyun couldn’t remember how many tears he cried, but he knew his heart finally withered and became a black emotionless hole. He continued to live his life soullessly, doing whatever he needed to sustain himself as Jooheon had ingrained in him when he was alive. But he never smiled. His eyes were heavy with sorrow, frame narrow, and face slightly sunken.

 

Two months later, he heard a knock at his door. His eyes opened slowly as he groaned. It was probably a mistake, no one ever spoke to him or checked on him. But Changkyun had a nagging feeling that the knock seemed familiar almost. Then he heard the same knock again. The young man sighed and pulled on a white t-shirt over his head before lethargically heading down the stairs to answer the door. Still mostly asleep with his eyes half shut, he opened the door.

 

“Hello?” He asked, still rubbing his eyes as as the adjusted to the morning light.

 

“Oh good. You still live here.” The soft voice spoke. At the sound of the voice, Changkyun’s eyes opened wide. No, it wasn’t possible. He could barely believe the sight before him. Yet he could see a tall man with blond hair, smooth skin, and a dimpled smile.

 

“Jooheon? Is it actually you?” Changkyun stuttered, barely getting the words out fast enough as his body shook with nerves. He felt like his insanity finally got the best of him, now apparently getting to the point of hallucinations. The blond smiled, nodding and ruffling the younger’s hair, definitely a real person.

 

“Of course it’s me. Let’s catch up.” Jooheon smiled before sliding into the house like he never left. Changkyun turned around to watch him sit on the sofa and gently pat the seat next to him softly. The younger shut the door and with each step he felt his face heat up as his heartbeat quickened and his eyes teared up for the first time in a long while.

 

The dark haired man took a seat, leaving half a cushion of space between him and Jooheon. A tidal wave of thoughts hit Changkyun. Why now? Did he just get back? What about the others? But what came out was, “What took you so long? I-I missed you. You were all I had left.” And with that he started to break. Tears were flowing from his eyes as his spine started to crumble, face falling into his own hands. Jooheon immediately slid over and hugged the younger man, patting his back softly.

 

“It’s okay. I’m here now. Sorry I couldn’t get here sooner.” He apologized in his deep voice, sprinkled with sincerity and regret. After the tears ceased, he looked at Jooheon. Patience and care were held in the blond’s eyes and then he smiled, the same sweet smile that Changkyun always saw, before pulling him into another hug. He pulled away and sat back comfortably and yet, Changkyun noticed he looked slightly out of place. He wasn’t nearly as relaxed as he usually would be.

 

“Ah it’s nice to be back. Say Changkyunnie, remember that lighthouse near the shore? Do you still have the keys?” Jooheon asked softly. Changkyun pondered the question.

 

“Yeah I think so? I’d have to find them amongst the mess, but I’m sure they’re here somewhere. Why?” He asked, curious as to why the question came out of the blue.

 

“Well I was just thinking, the last time we were there it was all seven of us. Might be nice to walk down memory lane.” He offered smoothly. Changkyun heard the smooth words, but he noticed how cold his eyes were. When Jooheon turned to him slowly, he smiled and his eyes lit up again pulling him in.

 

“Yeah I’ll look for them.” Changkyun agreed, patting Jooheon’s thick thigh. The blond smiled and stood.

 

“Cool. I gotta go check on my old place, but I’ll be back soon okay?” He smiled charmingly. The younger nodded and watched his friend walk out the door. Changkyun couldn’t quite place it, but he knew something was off about Jooheon. A deep nagging concern was in the pit of his stomach and while he was elated to see his best friend, he couldn’t ignore the feeling.

 

Over the next few days, the weird feeling only grew. His stomach felt unsettled and his shoulders tense. Although he was more than happy to have Jooheon back, he wasn’t the same. The older seemed to randomly pop up at the oddest of times, almost like he was trailing him. He appeared at the local market, the post office, even at the park. He’d stay for an hour or so, but would always ask the same questions. Even Changkyun could recite his responses like a script.

 

“So have you found the keys to the lighthouse yet? I really want to see the picture of all of us together.” The older would inquire. And Changkyun would always reply, “Yeah man, I’m still looking for them. I’ll let you know.”

 

“Okay. Let me know ASAP, okay man?”

 

“Yeah.” He’d nod and just like that Jooheon would disappear, almost in thin air. After the third time this happened, Changkyun took a detour to the local library. Of course he had heard the tale of sirens, but he didn’t really pay attention much since his friends never returned to be seen. Walking through the old doors, he took a right down the wooden staircase. He could tell it had been meticulously wiped down, having no trace of dust despite the library being one of the first things built after the town was founded. A older woman with cliche black thick glasses in a comfy orange sweater looked up and smiled at him. Her eyes widened and he was sure she didn’t get many visitors down here.

 

“Hi. Can I help you with something young man?” She asked calmly, her wise eyes staying fixated on his sharp ones. He smiled softly at her.

 

“Uh yes, I’m looking for the folklore section. Do you have anything on sirens?” He asked. Her eyes widened and she quickly nodded. “But of course! Right this way.” She got up from her desk and took him to the middle section. He passed so many books and with all the shelves it felt like a maze almost. It’s a true wonder the librarian knew where everything was and able to navigate it. Soon she stopped at a book on the middle shelf. The book itself was a bit worn and dusty, its cover was a bluish green like the sea. She blew the dust off before handing it to Changkyun.

 

“This should answer all the questions you have. It’s one of the oldest books we have in here. Give me a holler if you need anything okay?” She smiled before leaving him with the book. Changkyun took a seat at the small wooden desk near by and went straight to the index. The book had everything from different stories and legends, famous people who had been ensnared by sirens and all the powers they could possibly possess. The book also noted that sirens should be able to come back after a month, but Changkyun frowned. How come Jooheon had been the only one to come back? He didn’t know. But the picture he saw on the next page stopped his heart and threw him into one of his fondest memories.

 

“Hey guys! Let’s hang out at the beach today.” Wonho suggested, throwing an arm around Changkyun who tried to play it cool.

 

“Sure I guess.” He smiled lightly and all the boys ran down to the beach. They had quite the day playing in the ocean, making sand castles. Kihyun was kind enough to make all the food which everyone dearly appreciated. But out of the corner of his eye, Hyunwoo spotted a seashell that was very different from what they usually saw. It was a perfect seashell, no chips, nice shallow ridges, but instead a very light shade of lilac and blue on the underside. The boys smiled marveling at the shell. They decided it would be the shell to solidify their bond and friendship and thus took a picture with it. Now that Changkyun remembered that picture and shell it was like a dejavu. The shell was rumored to hold unimaginable power for sirens. But what would Jooheon be able to do with that? The possibilities were endless. Eventually Changkyun put the book back and he was a little shocked to be leaving with more questions than answers but he guessed he would find out soon enough. Perhaps he needed to do more research.

 

“I hope that helped. Come back again soon!” She smiled cheerily. Changkyun gave her a smile back and nodded, bidding her a good day. As he took each step up the stairs all he could think about were the thoughts he had on his mind. What is Jooheon’s intent with the shell? What kind of power does it hold? He looked up to the sky in annoyance as he ran his fingers through his hair. This was gonna be a long day.

 

Meanwhile, after every sunset Jooheon would walk back into the ocean. Soon he would start to swim into the deepest of waters where no human could ever venture. That far below in the pitch blackness, he started to view the kingdom that was set up for sirens. It was almost like Atlantis, but more jagged and harsh, colors consisting of black and grey. They weren’t concerned with making it pretty, but just decent as they thought living this way would be mostly temporary. As he entered the big city hall like building, he was met with five familiar faces.

 

“Have you gotten the shell yet?” Hyunwoo asked sitting stoically on his chair. Jooheon bit his lip.

 

“I haven’t. Changkyun is still looking for the keys to the lighthouse.” Jooheon answered, his answer having not changed for the past few days.

 

“Dammit Jooheon we’re running out of time. We need that shell immediately! We have to overtake the human world with it before ours gets destroyed to nothing.” Kihyun growled, slamming his fist in the desk.

 

“You know you only have ten years of being a siren without having the shell before-” Wonho started speaking and Hyungwon patted his shoulder.

 

“All we’re saying is you know how critical this is. Do whatever you need to.” Hyungwon stated with a glare in his eyes and Jooheon nodded.

 

“I will do whatever it takes.” After that he took his leave. Minhyuk gave him a sympathetic look as he passed by on the way undoubtedly to his room to rest. He only had one more day to get the shell. If not, the group would no longer ever be together.

 

The next day Jooheon walked out of the ocean again and begun his transformation. He swamped his gills for skin, sharp teeth for normal human teeth, and his outer layer shell shrinking back into his spine. He was a little late because the beach happened to be quite popular today and he definitely did not need the hassle of anyone seeing him shift. Jooheon immediately went to Changkyun’s house but was surprised to find the door already open. Changkyun came out with a small smile.

 

“Hey hyung. There you are. Guess what I found?” He smiles as he jingles the keys to the lighthouse. Jooheon immediately gave a sigh of relief, internally of course.

 

“Great! How about we head up there now?” The dimpled man smiled as he walked with the younger. Although Jooheon was eager to grab what he needed and leave, he didn’t want Changkyun to be suspicious so he struck up a conversation.

 

“I really missed you, you know? I’m really glad we can be hanging out together again.” He smiled. An awkward chuckle passed through Changkyun’s lips, but it wasn’t out of the norm for him. He could be quite awkward. Little did Jooheon know, he was also hiding his intentions.

 

“Yeah I missed you too. Nice not being alone as long as I was. Now if everyone else would just come back.” He said softly and Jooheon nodded and threw an arm over his shoulder.

 

“I know what you mean. I miss them too.” He added, playing into Changkyun’s wishes. Soon after going up the winding staircase, they made it to the bright green door. Changkyun opened it up and both men went in. The room was covered in a bunch of boxes and old trinkets and a thick layer of dust. Changkyun coughed a bit still shocked by the messiness, but Jooheon went straight to searching.

 

“Do you remember where we put it? Gosh it’s been so long.” He added, going through boxes and shelves, looking almost frantically. Changkyun watched him with sad eyes before going right to a small box hidden behind a bigger box.

 

“Here’s the box hyung.” He said, opening the lid. No faster than a second Jooheon was there looking over his shoulder. There was the famous picture with all the boys looking as happy as could be with the seashell.

 

“Great! I remember that day. It was one of my favorite memories. What else is in the box?” He pried gently. Changkyun handed it to him and let him look.

 

“Um where’s the seashell in the picture? I thought we kept it with the photo.” Jooheon said shortly. Changkyun could tell he was started to get annoyed that he couldn’t find what he was actually looking for.

 

“Oh you mean this?” Changkyun asked, taking the shell out of his back pocket. It glimmered in the light of the setting sun and Jooheon smiled widely.

 

“Ah it’s so pretty as I remembered it. Mind if I hold it?” He asked kindly expecting the younger to hand it over. What he did not expect was for Changkyun to run out the door with it.

 

“Hey get back here! Why are you running?” Jooheon asked before chasing him down the steps. Despite on how fast they both moved, navigating the fallen steps of concrete it was miraculous that no one fell. Once they both got to the beach, both heaving as they caught their breath, Changkyun looked at him sadly.

 

“Did you really think you could use me like that? That I wouldn’t figure out what you were up to?” Changkyun asked him in near disbelief.

 

“What are you talking about Changkyun? I’d never try to use you!” He said, voice still as sweet as the fox faced boy remembers. But he knew better to believe that.

 

“I know about the shell. How powerful it is. I looked into the legends. What are you planning to use it for?” Changkyun asked bravely.

 

“What if I told you we could all be reunited again?” Jooheon mused, peaking the younger’s interest.

 

“What do you mean? You know we haven’t seen the others in years. The others never came back.” Changkyun spat, the words tasting bitter as they came out of his mouth.

 

“You haven’t but I have. They’re trapped down there. With that shell, I’ll have the power to bring them on shore. We can be together again like old times. All I need is the shell.” He explained and suddenly Changkyun could feel his heart drop. He imagined that he’d want to be reunited with everyone again. It had been some hard years without them all, but at what cost.

 

“I did my research Jooheon. You mean to start war and take over this land. To kill the humans who have hunted sirens for years. I love you guys but I can’t let that happen. You’re not the same anymore man!” He yelled, tears starting to form in his eyes as he realized he was truly between a rock and a hard place.

 

Jooheon stared at him for a while. The dimpled man dropped his smile, his eyes became black as the night, and his voice turned cold.

 

“Just give me the shell Changkyun. I don’t want to hurt you but I will if I need to. Don’t make me do this.” He growled, raising the hair on the back of the younger’s neck. The younger took several steps back as Jooheon slowly approached him, his face twisting in anger and frustration within every step. With the sun setting, Jooheon started to transform as he did every night into his siren self beyond creeping out the other. Soon Changkyun was near a bonfire can and started to hold his hand above the fire.

 

“No you can’t destroy the shell! Destroy that and you lose every siren forever. We won’t be able to come back. Is that what you want? I thought you wanted to be together again. They’d love to see you Changkyun.” He added, slowly getting closer. Tears streamed down the younger’s face as he felt his heart breaking again yet again. He really should have seen this coming. Fate was cruel after all.

 

“I’m sorry hyung. Goodbye.”

 

“No!” Jooheon yelled as he charged forward, desperate to stop him, but it was too late. He dropped the seashell into the fire and it darkened into a nice charcoal black before fading away into dust. Jooheon had him by the throat but soon started to fade into the same dust as the as the shell. Changkyun fell to his knees, crying his heart out. They were gone, forever. He sobbed loudly into the night until he finally mustered up enough energy to carry himself back home.

 

Changkyun wasn’t the same anymore. He had been through too much in the last few years to sustain any kind of hope. But he heard a crowd near the beach and so curiosity got the best of him. People were washing up ashore, having no memory of what happened to them. But not just any people, those who had died and become sirens. They were coming back. His eyes widened. Did that mean? He ran towards the side of the beach he always played on as a kid. Sure enough his boys were there. A bunch of tangled limbs no less, which caused Changkyun to scoff a bit, but he felt the tears coming up again. Shownu was the first to wake up, still groggy and confused. But once his eyes landed on Changkyun he smiled.

 

“Hey Changkyun! What’s up? Feels like I haven’t seen you in ages.” He hugged the younger. One by one, they all started to wake up and hug each other and him. All Changkyun could do was cry. When Minhyuk asked him what was wrong all he could choke out was how much he missed them. He felt a gentle hand wipe away his tears and he opened his eyes to find Jooheon with an authentic dimpled smile.

 

“It’s okay. Don’t cry. We’re all together again. And we won’t be leaving each other anytime soon.” The older promised looking into his eyes sincerely. That was the moment he knew, everything was going to be as it should and he could finally smile genuinely again.

  



End file.
